This Tale Is Forbidden

Nesta believes in fairy tales and longs to see the city beyond the forest. When her grandmother is abducted, she journeys there to rescue her, only to discover the city's Authorities have rewritten history and replaced the fairytale heroines with weak girls who must rely on men. Nesta knows the truth, but it is a dangerous thing, and she finds herself a target. She must evade the Authorities long enough to rescue her grandmother and liberate everyone else, bringing magic back into the world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 04 January 2024
Publisher: Scholastic

Nesta, a young woman who believes in the power of fairy tales, is forbidden from wandering too far from her isolated woodland cottage. She longs to see the city beyond the forest, and when her grandmother is abducted, she takes her chance to journey there in the hope of rescuing her. However, she is horrified to discover that the city's Authorities have rewritten history, replacing the fairytale heroines with weak girls who must rely on men. Everyone believes this is how the world has always been, but Nesta knows the truth.

Truth is a dangerous thing, and Nesta finds herself a target. She must evade the Authorities long enough to rescue her grandmother and liberate everyone else, bringing magic back into the world. This thrilling dystopian fantasy is a feminist fairy tale retelling that will make you rethink traditional stories forever.

The novel is written by Polly Crosby, the much-loved author of Vita and the Birds, The Unravelling, and The Illustrated Child. The cover art is by Noma Bar, the illustrator of Margaret Atwood's book covers.

Weight: 234g
Dimension: 128 x 197 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780702325601